McLean Courtney P, de Boer Kathleen, Lee Megan F, McLean Siân A
Department of Psychology, Counselling, and Therapy, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3083, Australia.
Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD 4229, Australia.
Nutrients. 2025 Jan 18;17(2):345. doi: 10.3390/nu17020345.
Vegetarianism and veganism have long been tied to disordered eating and are frequently considered to be methods of limiting available food choices. Health professionals specializing in eating disorder treatment may modify their treatment practices to support their vegetarian or vegan clients. However, there are no formally recognized clinical guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders in these groups. Moreover, no studies have yet explored the experiences of seeking and receiving eating disorder treatment while adhering to vegetarianism or veganism, which are needed to inform the development of guidelines. The present study aims to explore the lived experiences of vegetarians and vegans on eating disorder treatment through semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis.
Seventeen participants (aged 19-48, 76% female, 41% vegan) with a history of receiving eating disorder treatment were recruited.
We identified five themes that participants described as important experiences for the treatment of their eating disorder when sought as a vegetarian or vegan: (1) Health professional perspectives, (2) The interaction of dietary status with treatment quality, (3) The give and take of treatment, (4) Lack of flexibility in treatment services, and (5) Current treatment approaches not well equipped to support dietary variations.
This paper identifies the complex relationship between eating disorders, veganism, and vegetarianism and the perceptions of treatment from the perspectives of those who have received treatment. Our findings suggest that acknowledgement and the flexibility to work with an individual's vegan and vegetarian values within treatment may contribute to enhanced outcomes and treatment experiences. Limitations include potential participation and response biases and a predominantly female-identifying sample. This study will contribute to the development of clinical guidelines when working with vegan and vegetarian clients.
素食主义和纯素食主义长期以来都与饮食失调相关，并且常常被视为限制食物选择的方式。专门从事饮食失调治疗的健康专业人员可能会调整他们的治疗方法，以支持他们的素食或纯素食客户。然而，目前尚无针对这些群体饮食失调治疗的正式认可的临床指南。此外，尚未有研究探讨在坚持素食主义或纯素食主义的同时寻求和接受饮食失调治疗的经历，而这些经历对于制定指南至关重要。本研究旨在通过半结构化访谈和反思性主题分析，探索素食者和纯素食者在饮食失调治疗方面的生活经历。
招募了17名有饮食失调治疗史的参与者（年龄在19 - 48岁之间，76%为女性，41%为纯素食者）。
我们确定了五个主题，参与者将其描述为作为素食者或纯素食者寻求饮食失调治疗时的重要经历：（1）健康专业人员的观点，（2）饮食状况与治疗质量的相互作用，（3）治疗中的给予与接受，（4）治疗服务缺乏灵活性，（5）当前治疗方法无法很好地支持饮食差异。
本文确定了饮食失调、纯素食主义和素食主义之间的复杂关系，以及从接受治疗者的角度对治疗的看法。我们的研究结果表明，在治疗中认可并灵活对待个体的纯素食和素食价值观可能有助于提高治疗效果和治疗体验。局限性包括潜在的参与和反应偏差以及以女性为主的样本。这项研究将有助于制定针对纯素食和素食客户的临床指南。
